Appeal to the Minister for Foreign Affairs regarding recommendation from UNCommittee on the Rights of the Child relating to Japanese textbooks: Eliminate
interference in Japanese domestic affairs
Among the recommendations issued by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Childon June 16, 2010 was one relating to Japanese textbooks. Since that recommendation isextremely unreasonable, the Society for History Textbook Reform has submitted an appeal to theMinister for Foreign Affairs. Our appeal was delivered to the Minister for Foreign Affairs via theHuman Rights and Humanitarian Affairs Division of the Ministry’s Foreign Policy Bureau on
July 22 by three Society officers: Messrs. Sugihara Seishiro and Fukuchi Atsushi (vicechairmen), and Suzuki Naoyuki (secretary general). The text of the appeal, in its entirety,follows.

July 22, 2010TO:

His Excellency Okada Katsuya
Minister for Foreign Affairs

FROM:

JAPANESE SOCIETY FOR TEXTBOOK REFORM
Fujioka Nobukatsu, Chairman

SUBJECT:

Appeal for the elimination of attempts to interfere in Japanese domestic affairs(the content of Japanese textbooks) by manipulating the UN Committee on theRights of the Child

1. Between May 25 and June 11 of this year, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child
deliberated on the extent of Japan’s implementation of the Convention on the Rights of theChild. The Committee issued a report stating the results of those deliberations on June 15. In
the report are references to Japan’s textbooks, a topic that is of paramount interest to theSociety for History Textbook Reform. Accordingly, we hereby request that Your Excellency
take appropriate action to preserve Japan’s sovereignty.
The relevant portions of the report are as follows:
74. The Committee is concerned at information that Japanese history textbooks do notenhance the mutual understanding of children from different countries in the region as
they represent a Japanese interpretation of historical events only.
75. The Committee recommends that the State party ensure that officially reviewed
textbooks present a balanced view of historical events in the Asia-Pacific region.
2. This recommendation is exceedingly unreasonable in terms of principle, content andprocedure.
First, the matter of principle: decisions regarding a nation’s textbooks and their content areinexorably linked to the foundation of that nation’s educational system; they cannot be
consigned to any other entity. We cannot and must not brook interference in Japanese
domestic affairs (in this case, our textbooks) by any organization, regardless of its nature.
Second, the matter of content: even a cursory glance at the recommendation lays bare its
spuriousness. For instance, it contains the following language: “Japanese history textbooks
do not enhance the mutual understanding of children from different countries in the region as
they represent a Japanese interpretation of historical events only.” As a matter of fact, thereal problem plaguing Japanese history textbooks is their failure to capture the Japaneseinterpretation of past events because of hypersensitivity to other nations. Whatever the case,
it is perfectly reasonable for history textbooks to reflect the interpretation of the nation thatissues them; it is also a universal phenomenon.
Third, the matter of procedure: we would very much like to know how the “information”
about which the Committee is “concerned” was brought to its attention. We find it difficult tobelieve that the Committee went to the trouble to prepare and carefully examine translationsof Japan’s history textbooks — a monumental task — prior to arriving at a judgment of those
textbooks. That is why, we assume, that the language it employs (“information”) is so vague.
Prior to deciding on its recommendations, the Committee on the Rights of the Child held a
reception with an NGO that, as the name implies, does not officially represent the Japanese
government. It is possible that this reception was the venue for the communication ofinaccurate information to the Committee. We recall that, in the past, the Commission on
Human Rights was used by some Japanese activists to publicize the comfort-woman problem.
The unfortunate outcome was that the grossly inaccurate term “sex slave” was disseminatedthroughout the world. Similarly, the recent recommendation is procedurally unjust andopaque.
3. In postwar Japan, the notion that international organizations and the international community
are neutral, fair and noble entities has attained dominance in the sovereign nation that isJapan, primarily through the medium of civics education. Consequently, the Japanese tend tobelieve that the United Nations and other international organizations are unconditionallyneutral and fair. The reality is that, as anyone familiar with the organization is aware, the UN
is often the scene of struggles between nations with divergent interests; individual member
states attempt to manipulate its organizations to further their interests.
In light of the above, we ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs to respond to therecommendation regarding textbooks made by the Committee on the Rights of the Child,
which clearly constitutes unreasonable interference in Japanese domestic affairs, not in a
defensive manner, but by taking a firm stand, as befits a sovereign state, and resolutely
repudiating that recommendation. Additionally, we ask the Japanese government to make aconcerted effort toward radical improvements that deter activists from running rampant on
UN committees.